Marauding Influences
by TheLastPrince
Summary: AU. Take four mischevious boys; three Gryffindor, one Slytherin. Add pretty red-haired girl. Mix with baby boy and girl half-twins and unbreakable magical bonds, and you have the recipe for a "perfect" family. Lily/Severus, AU, character bashing,some OOC
1. Prologue

A/N

Okay, As promised, here is the rewrite of Marauding Influences. I work only for a few hours in the morning, so I will have plenty of time to write. As I said in the authors note, the changes will start after the prologue and first chapter, which have been combined to form the revised prologue. I am going to try to stockpile chapters, so that i could regularly update throughout the year.

Disclaimer: anything recognizable belongs to JK Rowling. Delilah Prince and anything unrecognizable belongs to me.

**Prologue**

**Smoke** filled the air, choking him as he ran, dodging spells as he went. He was so close, just minutes away from the last fight, the one that would end it all. He reached the edge of the forest before looking back at the four dark haired people behind him.

These were the ones who had followed him, stood by his side, and showed him the way; the ones who had believed in him; who had always been there when he needed someone, and if he didn't, well, they were there anyway. These four had trained him, encouraged him. They had fought for him, had killed for him, and were willing to die for him.

Turning back to the quartet, he smiled and walked into their open arms, basking in the love emanating from them. Stepping back, he watched as the waved their arms in tandem, and four silver guardians appeared around him, filling him with light and hope.

Facing back toward the forest, he began his solitary journey. He paused just once, looking back at one figure in particular.

The one whose eyes were as green as his own.

**Prince** Manor

October 31, 1980

England

The floo roared to life, startling the young man sitting in the lounge. He swore under his breath as he used his wand to quickly syphon up the scarlet ink that had been spilled everywhere, then pointing it at the fireplace. Before the connection had opened, the ebony haired twenty year old had been sitting in his favorite black leather, wing-backed chair, reading one of his potions journals and correcting any errors with the scarlet ink.

Now, however, Severus Snape sprung to his feet, wand at the ready. Although only six people knew his floo address, and corresponding pass-phrase, one could never be too careful in such dangerous times. Severus watched with calculating eyes as four very familiar figures stepped out onto his hearth...well, three figures stepped out after the first tumbled out onto the rug. Severus poked at the groaning lump with his wand, checking for injuries.

"Watch where you poke that thing, Sev!" the man on the floor groused, struggling to pull out his own wand so he could hex Severus in return for the none too gentle prodding he had received. Although he was currently sprawled on the hearth rug, it was obvious that the man was tall and lanky. His spiky black hair was in such disarray that it looked as if a pygmy puff were attached to his head. He had an angular, aristocratic face, that was quite fair. There were stress lines marring his mouth and forehead, though they did nothing change the fact that he was extremely good-looking. His warm hazel eyes were dimmed by shadows of seeing too much on the front lines. James Potter.

"Don't mind him, Severus. He's just sore because he fell out of the floo, again, and messed up his hair." The second figure, also tall and lanky, smirked at James as he leaned down and snatched both James and Severus' wands from their hands and placed them on the side table. He glared them into stillness when the two black haired men made a lunge for the table, his eyes flashing. The glare vanished, and he smiled warmly at his host, his big amber eyes glowing under a mop of expresso brown hair. It had been tawny before the Blood Brother's bonding in their seventh year. His face, which was slightly rounder than James' was, with a softer brow and jaw, was sparsely spiderwebbed with faint scars. Remus Lupin

"Come on, Remy, give them back their wands! We could all use a laugh right about now." The third man stepped over to Remus, gray eyes wide and pleading. Remus snorted. Like the other two, this man was tall and lanky. His black hair well with casual elegance, gently waving, until it brushed his shoulders around an aristocratic face, similar to James'. He was very fair, with extremely light freckles splashed across his nose. He was incredibly handsome, though dangerously so in comparison to James' classic good looks and Remus' boyish charms. He moved with a grace that was surprising to most people. Sirius Black.

"Shut it, all three of you. Will you at least give our host a chance to say something?" The last figure snapped, effectively ending the argument between the other three guests without the waking the precious cargo in her arms. "Hello, Sev", she added more gently to Severus. She was tall and willowy, her dark red hair cascading down to her hips. Bright green eyes sparkled out of a fair, heart-shaped face as she smiled down at Severus. Stepping down from the hearth, she walked over to him, her light dancer's step making her appear to be floating above the floor and kissed his cheek. Lily Evans Potter.

Severus himself was tall, good looking, and just as lanky as the other three men. However, he and Sirius were of a more muscular build than James or Remus. Jet-black hair, often greasy due to noxious potion fumes, hung straight down to his chin, framing his angular, aristocratic face, the only flaw of which being the slightly hooked nose, which wasn't nearly as big as his friends liked to say it was. His skin was very pale, almost vampiric, due to the lack of sunshine in his part of England, coupled with the amount of time he spent in his dungeon potions lab. His pasty appearance was accented by the black clothing he always wore.

"Hey, Tigerlily. How's the mini-marauder?" Severus reached down and gently ruffled the sleeping baby's messy black hair.

"He's doing well. He finally slept through the night", Lily said, settling herself on the black leather couch, baby Harry cradled in her arms.

"Where is the little trouble maker?" Remus asked as the rest of the Marauders sprawled out around the room and Severus retook his armchair.

"She's-" a giggle from the cradle beside Severus' chair interrupted him- "right here." Remus leapt from his seat and had crossed the room in seconds. scooping up the giggling baby girl, her bright green eyes matching her mother and brothers'. Severus watched in amusement as Remus retook his seat on the floor leaning against Sirius' legs as he cuddled the baby.

"Are you planning on kidnapping my daughter, Moony?" Severus asked with a chuckle. "If you want children so badly, maybe you shouldn't be with the mutt over there."

"No, even though I love children, I've never wanted any of my own, mostly because I would never take that risk...These two have completely captured my heart. We may not share genetic material, but they're my babies. I love them."

"I agree completely. Hell, I don't even like kids, but these two completely turned my opinion around...at least for Harry, Delilah, Neville and Draco. My opinion stands for others", Sirius stated, looking down at the baby in Remus' arms, an affectionate glow in his gray eyes.

James reached over and plucked Harry out of his wife's arms. "Sometimes I forget that Delilah isn't actually my daughter. She is so easy to love that I consider her to be mine. Partially, at least. I don't want to steal your thunder, Sev."

"Don't worry about it, Prongs. I have the same thoughts about Harry. You're right though, these two are so easy to love that it just comes naturally. If you had told me four years ago that I would be completely in love with two children, I would have sent you to visit Poppy Pomphrey."

James snorted. "Too right, you would, you snarky bastard." Severus merely lifted an eyebrow.

"Snarky bastard? Is that the best you can do, Potter? Tsk tsk, someone has lost their touch..."

"Excuse me? What did you just say, you over grown house cat?"

"I was merely stating that you have been using increasingly lame attempts at insults ever since we graduated Hogwarts. It seems that you have passed the height of your brilliance."

"At least I don't walk around with greasy hair every bloody day!"

"That is an occupational hazard of being a potions master, and you know it."

"Well-" James broke off as Lily reached up and cuffed him over the head- "ouch! Lily, that was uncalled for!"

"Correction, it was very much called for: you were getting increasingly loud with every word that came out of your mouth; you were going to wake Harry, and Delilah just dropped off. Now, James, if you are ready to act your age, there is something that I wanted to discuss with you, and it is something serious."

Lily stood up from the couch, and paced around the room. The four men watched her silently, knowing that she truly was serious; Lily wasn't one to worry about little things. Lily suddenly stopped, and turned to face them. "The probability that all five of us are going to make it through this war alive is slim to none, especially with all five of us being prime targets-all of us because of the Order, James for being a Potter, Sirius for turning his back on his family, Remus for refusing to join the packs, Severus for turning down Voldemort's offer of being his personal potions master, and me, because I'm a muggle born.

The world is in chaos, people are changing sides left, right, and center, and doing anything that may protect themselves. The five of us have somehow managed to guard our family thus far, but I am not sure how much longer we will succeed. What I want to do, and need to do as a mother, is give my children every protection within my power, and part of that includes taking measures for beyond the grave. Biologically, and legally, Harry and Delilah belong to James, Severus, and I. Merlin forbid, something happens to us, Remus and Sirius would have no legal claim, except as godparents. Even then, Remus would have a tough time of it, getting custody of Delilah, because of the lycanthropy. The only way to circumvent that is if she were biologically his daughter. And the only way for that to occur is through-"

"Blood adoption", breathed Severus, his mind quickly catching on to Lily's master plan. "It's bloody brilliant. We would all have a legal claim to them, no matter what happens..."

Sirius looked at them both in confusion. "Would someone please explain the steps that Severus jumped over in his leap of logic, because I, for one, am not following..."

"Siri, please try to keep up", Remus said, a look of wonder on his face. "Think about it, when children are blood adopted, they legally, and genetically become part of the adopter's family. Bloodline traits, and gifts are often transferred to the adoptee."

"If we do this, it wouldn't matter who conceived the children. They would contain all of our genetic material...even if they tried to take them away, a bloodline test would prove it", James mused, his face lighting up.

"Oh...that actually makes a lot of sense...and now I really feel kind of stupid for not coming to that conclusion myself", Sirius said, shaking his head. Lily crossed over to him, and knelt down in front of his chair. "Don't feel stupid, Siri; blood adoption isn't something that is done often."

Remus took Sirius' other hand. "And it is something that's talked about, let alone taught about, even less." James and Severus joined them, joining hands with the others and completed the circle.

"Blood magic is an obscure branch of magic, but it's powerful, and it'll protect the twins."

"We're already a family, so why not make it official?" Severus asked rhetorically.

Remus paled suddenly, dropping Lily and Sirius' hands. "Wait, what about the lycanthropy? I know it didn't when I bonded with James and Severus, but if there is even the slightest chance of it passing over, there is no way in hell that I am going to risk affecting Harry and Delilah."

"It's an understandable fear, Remy", Lily said gently, "but as far as I am aware, lycanthropy can only passed on through infection from a bite, not through blood. Even if that weren't true, all blood magic is influenced by intent. Just as you wanted to protect Severus and James, your desire to protect the twins will shield them from the lycanthropy".

Remus looked at the four who were looking at his face earnestly. He took a deep breath, and said, "okay".

**The ** five Marauders looked down at the two sleeping babies. The blood adoption had been completed little over an hour ago, and the "new parents" still couldn't take their eyes off the twins. They looked completely different, and yet utterly the same. Lily tore her eyes away, and removed the silver daggers from in front of the other four. She hadn't needed to bond with either one of the children. Sirius and Remus had given their blood to both, James had to Delilah, and Severus to Harry.

Before the adoption, Harry had looked exactly as James had as a baby, with Lily's eyes. Now his face was a bit more aristocratic, with the elegance of Severus and Sirius' angles. His black hair was no longer a rat's nest; it was now messy in a casual way. His bright green eyes remained unchanged. Harry's nose was now shaped like Remus' and was a perfect match for his face.

Delilah still looked very much like Lily, by way of her eyes and heart shaped face. Her hair, however had darkened from rust colored to black, with a reddish tint to it. The influence of Sirius and James sharpened her features, bringing her high cheekbones into focus. Remus' blood had filled out her lips some, and like on her brother, perfected her nose.

Lily jerked her head back toward the furniture around the fire. The Marauders sat back down, leaving the twins to sleep in the cradle next to the hearth. Severus crossed to his liquor cabinet, and poured them each a glass of firewhiskey. After downing half his glass in one gulp, Sirius spoke.

"While we were doing the adoption, I was thinking-"

Very sarcastically, Lily interrupted. "You were thinking? Imagine that..." James, Remus and Severus snickered in the background.

"Yes, I was thinking! I have been known to do that you know! Anyway, I came up with another method of protection for the twins: The Unbreakable Vow."

The room was silent for a few minutes. Remus was the one who broke the silence. "Siri...that is actually a really, really good idea..."

"It is", Severus added. "We would vow that we never betray each other, Delilah or Harry, or do anything that would meaningfully cause them harm. The vow would hold even against the Imperius; the vow would kill us before we carried the action out anyway."

"The wording will have to be very specific then, so that nothing would happen accidentally", James mused, running his fingers through his already messy hair. "I think we should do it though."

"I agree", Remus said, recovering from his shock. Lily looked over at the cradle, where her children appeared to be sleeping peacefully. Her emerald eyes hardened, and she turned back to the others.

"I would sell my soul for those two, as would any other mother. I will do anything to protect them, including taking a vow that will kill me the moment I take one wrong step."

With each of them in agreement, they put their heads together to come up with the exact wording of the vow, and how it would be taken. After much debate, and quite a few insults from James, Severus, and Sirius, it was decided that they would sit in a circle, and each person would take the vow with the others, with the person on the left being the binder. The pattern would continue until every possible combination had been covered.

Unbeknownst to the five Marauders, they were being watched throughout the entire process. If any one of them had looked closely at the cradle, they would have seen a baby standing up against the side, observing them with her big green eyes, hearing every word.

**Prince** Manor

June 17, 1981

England

Severus left his potions lab, and walked toward the kitchen, intent on getting some lunch. The hall was full of photographs, and Severus stopped in front of one in particular. It was from his seventh year at Hogwarts. The five Marauders were sitting on the shore of the Black Lake. Remus and Sirius had their arms around each others waists, and every once in awhile Sirius pressed a kiss to Remus' cheek. Next to them, James and Severus sat with Lily sitting between them. Everyone knew that James and Lily had finally gotten together during their seventh year. What wasn't common knowledge was that Lily and Severus had dated seriously during their sixth year.

Although James was in love with Lily himself, he supported Lily and Severus, because it made her happy, even if it caused him pain. It was during that time that James and Lily truly became friends. It was James that Lily and Severus turned to when they had been careless during a night together, and she ended up pregnant. Lily was firmly against abortion, and refused to even consider it. Together with Remus and Sirius, James came up the with solution: a stasis spell would be cast over the just conceived child. It would halt the baby's development, and Lily's body would continue to run on its normal cycles. The spell wouldn't bring any harm to Lily or the unborn child, and was the best option that the five were able to come up with.

It was toward the beginning of summer that Lily and Severus parted ways by mutual agreement. They shifted back to the best of friends, without any awkwardness. Their child was never forgotten though. With time, James and Lily got together. Their love was strong and deep, and unsurprisingly led to marriage. James was perfectly okay with the knowledge that Lily carried his friend's child. When Lily learned that she had conceived again, soon after her and James' wedding, the two of them, and Severus sat down, and talked about everything. It was decided that at the right time, the stasis would be released, and both children would be carried at the same time, as twins. The entire experience brought James, Lily, and Severus much closer as friends.

Severus was very happy with his life. He had two beautiful children, and four amazing friends. They had always been close, but they were now a family, in every sense of the word. The only blemish was Voldemort, his Death Eaters, and their reign of terror. Looking back at the photo, Severus could see the changes in his friends that this war had wrought. James and Sirius, ever the pranksters, were now uncharacteristically serious, frown lines marring their faces. Remus struggled with his transformations each month. Lily was worried about them, and was losing sleep. Severus himself spent days locked in his lab, brewing as many healing potions as he could for the Order. Good people were dying each day, because no one could kill that monster...

Pulling himself out of those dark thoughts, Severus shook his head, cast one more glance at the photograph and continued down the hall toward the kitchen, his thoughts now only on the sandwich that awaited him there.

**Godric's** Hollow

October 31, 1981

England

10: 37 p.m.

James stood up from the couch, dragging his fingers through his hair. Another day, locked up in this house, another day they survived. He had just reached the stairs when the front door lock clicked. It could only be one person. James froze, his wand in his hand. Grim determination filled him. He would protect Harry, or die trying. He yelled up the stairs for Lily to take Harry and run. James took a deep breath, turned around, and stared straight into bright red eyes.

James Potter had forgotten to knock on wood.

**Godric's** Hollow

October 31, 1981

England

10: 54 p.m.

Five figures appeared out of thin air in the middle of the street. As one, they turned to the destroyed cottage, taking in the scene with terrified heartbreak. Despite their advanced age, Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall easily kept pace with the three young men as they sprinted towards James and Lily's home. Albus took note of the fact that the Dark Mark had not been cast above the house. Sirius was the first one through the door. The others nearly tripped over Sirius' hunched over form in the foyer, tears streaming down his cheeks. The others followed his line of sight to the source of his despair.

James' body was laying spread-eagle at the bottom of the damaged staircase. He was clearly dead. Minerva rushed forward, even though she knew that there was nothing she could do. Severus and Remus searched the kitchen, living and laundry rooms, but there was no sign of Lily. They gingerly climbed up the stairs, Albus following behind. They had just about reached the landing when they heard a cry from one of the upstairs rooms.

The cry of a terrified child.

The three men leapt to the landing and found the source of the noise.

The nursery was a disaster area. Half the ceiling, and one of the side walls was blown out. Severus gave a cry when he saw Lily, lying motionless in front of the crib. She had died protecting her son, her son, who had miraculously survived the encounter.

"Severus..." Severus turned to Albus, who was holding up a set of black robes, and a white wand. The potions master's eyes widened.

"Is that...?"

"Voldemort's robe and wand? Yes, it is."

"But how-" Severus was interrupted by Remus' sharp cry of "Albus!"

The headmaster hurried over to Remus. While the other two had been talking, Remus had crossed the room, and scooped Harry into his arms. Now, he brushed Harry's fringe back to reveal a lightning bolt shaped cut across his forehead.

"That is a curse scar. Harry was clearly hit with a curse. Knowing Voldemort, it was probably the killing curse. The prophecy..."

"Back up a second, Albus. Are you suggesting that Harry somehow managed to rebound a killing curse at the Dark Lord?"

"That is exactly what I am suggesting, Remus. Harry has beaten the curse that has struck down those just as powerful as I am. This will have to be looked into. For now, though, let us go home." As he was talking, Albus had placed Lily's body into a bag spelled to protect against wear and tear.

Remus handed Harry to Severus, and went to the small dresser. He pulled out Harry's clothes and stuck them in a small duffel bag. Taking one last look around the room, the three walked down the stairs. They met up with Sirius and Minerva , who was levitating a bag identical to Albus'. The group somberly left the house and walked into the street. As they each took one last look at the Potter's destroyed home, every member of the group had the same thought.

Peter Pettigrew would pay in blood...


	2. Shaping the Future

Disclaimer: Anything recognizable as JK Rowling's belongs to her. Delilah Prince and anything else that is unrecognizable belongs to me.

Warnings: SLASH! Alternate Universe, Ron/Ginny/Molly Bashing, minor Hermione/Fred/George bashing, Severus/Lily past relationship, OOC

THIS IS NOT TWINCEST!

Chapter 2: Shaping the Future

5 August, 1991

Prince Manor

England

As the early morning summer sunlight crept through the eastern facing windows of Prince Manor, its five occupants remained oblivious to the new day, deep in sleep. The lounge appeared nearly the same as it had that night nearly eleven years before, only the photographs on the walls showing that many years had passed since that fateful discussion amongst five friends.

Remus, Sirius and Severus' tale from the night James and Lily died had resulted in a huge spike of respect added to the already substantial amount that Albus and Minerva held for the Marauders. Ever since, the couple had been a constant in the lives of those who lived in Prince Manor. It was that night that Albus, as Headmaster of Hogwarts, had offered Severus the post of Potions Master. Severus had apartments in the school, but he was rarely there except for his classes, office hours and nights. He also attended a few meals now and then. Whatever free time he had was spent at home with Harry and Delilah. While Severus was teaching potions, Remus and Sirius began to teach the twins. Severus would help whenever he could, and Albus and Minerva would assist as well, when they had time.

It was quickly discovered that the twins held massive potential. Each day from the time they turned five years old, Remus taught them mathematics, English, geography, and history, magical and muggle. Latin and French were the first thing that Remus taught them, and the language lessons continued even when they had achieved fluency. Harry and Delilah did well in their lessons, although they had difficulty sitting still for extended periods of time.

To combat the vast amounts of energy that the twins possessed, and lower the risk of accidental magic, Sirius, and Severus when he could, took them outside in the afternoon. He introduced them to fencing, hand to hand combat, and traditional sword-wielding. Even from such a young age, the Marauders could tell that their kids would make something of themselves as they got older.

Harry had grown up to be a tall, lanky boy, much like his fathers. He still looked quite a bit like James, but with subtle influences from Remus, Severus, and Sirius. His raven hair was messy in a casual, elegant way that James could never have achieved in his wildest dreams. It fell over his forehead to his eyebrows, hiding the lightning bolt scar, something Harry was very pleased with. Harry's green eyes were bright, framed by dark lashes, and no longer hidden by glasses; when the twins were five, Severus had developed a potion to correct vision impediments. Harry often looked sweet and unassuming, much like Remus, until the time that the wicked Marauder's grin would appear on his face. Harry had a real talent for drawing, and included at least one sketch on every letter that he wrote to his friends. His snowy owl, Hedwig, got plenty of exercise.

Delilah was willowy, and slightly shorter than Harry. Her black hair had a red tint to it, in contrast to Harry's inky black. It fell in waves to her waist, jagged bangs framing her heart shaped face, brushing her high cheekbones. While her brother took after his fathers in appearance, Delilah looked very much like Lily had as an eleven year old, with her face, and bright eyes. Delilah's skin was very pale, as was her brother's, though not the the same degree as Severus'. Thick, long, and dark lashes framed her almond shaped green eyes. Delilah often wore emerald green, or black like Severus; the contrast between her pale complexion and dark clothing was startling. She was very mischievous, and loved a good prank, even more so than her twin. She also loved to read, and would read everything she could get her long-fingered hands on.

Like Harry, Delilah enjoyed flying, though not to the same degree as her brother; she preferred horseback riding. Both twins were natural seekers; Harry was more interested in quidditch, while Delilah just flew for fun. Regardless, she was more than willing to face off against her brother on the pitch.

Severus was roughly awakened when two bodies fell on top of him. He cracked his eyes open to see his children giggling down at him, and groaned. He jerked the bedclothes up over his head, sending the still giggling twins to the floor. He had just about fallen asleep again when the laughter died down, and the two climbed back on the bed, and started tugging on the covers.

"Severus, get up! Albus and Minerva are coming today!" Delilah said.

Harry added, "Come on, Sev! We want help getting Remy and Siri up!".

After several more minutes of relentless pulling, poking, and prodding, Severus groaned, and sat up. He pulled Delilah into his arms, wrapping her in a tight hug before kissing her head and letting her loose. He gave Harry the same treatment, tousling the boy's messy hair as he let him go. Severus threw back the covers, and went to the loo attached to his room. He made it quick, not giving the twins enough time to prank him.

Back in the bedroom, Severus crossed to the dresser and pulled out a black AC/DC tee shirt to throw on with his black plaid pajama bottoms. He smiled over at the dark haired twins, running a hand through his own black hair.

"Come, let's wake the dogs," Severus beckoned them out the door. He led them across the hall, and silently opened the door. "Wait here a moment," Severus bid the twins, quickly crossing to the bed. "Okay, they're decent." Harry and Delilah grinned, and silently darted to Severus' side. The only sounds coming from the darkened room were Sirius' snores, and Remus' heavy, even breathing.

Severus bent down and whispered, "Wake Remus, I'll take care of Sirius". Smiling devilishly, the twins scurried over to the opposite side of the bed and waited for Severus to count down. At the signal, Harry and Delilah jumped on Remus the same way they had Severus, startling the man awake at the same time that Sirius gave a loud yell, and fell out of bed, tangled in the sheets.

Sirius had been sleeping peacefully when he was suddenly covered with an icy cold stinging sensation. He jerked awake, but unfortunately, when he jerked, he jerked to the side of the bed, and tumbled out of it. Sirius lay groaning on the floor for a few minutes; he could hear the twins giggling on the bed, and when he opened his eyes, he could see a pair of skinny legs encased in black plaid pajama pants. He looked up at Severus' face and glared. "I hate you."

"No, you don't. If I didn't wake you up, you would have been extremely irritated to know that you missed out on the porridge that Leaf is making right now."

"Porridge?" Sirius sat bolt up right at the mention of his favorite food. "Where's the porridge?"

"In the kitchen. Where else would Leaf put it?" It was Remus who answered. Sirius looked over to see Remus sitting on the edge of the bed with Delilah on his lap, smiling at his lover. He gave a little grunt when another dark haired missile knocked him back on the floor, laughing madly.

"That's it!" Sirius jumped to his feet, taking Harry with him, and flopped onto the bed next to Remus. He trapped the boy in his lap as his fingers went straight to Harry's ribs. Harry squirmed. He was extremely ticklish, and Sirius knew it. Just when Harry thought he was going to pass out, Sirius stopped tickle-torturing him.

Pop!

The five looked over at the house-elf that had just appeared into the room. "Breakfast is ready!" Leaf squeaked. Sirius leapt to his feet.

"What are you waiting for? The porridge is done!" Leaf giggled as the dark haired man ran by her out the door. They heard him thundering down the stairs.

"Thank you, Leaf", Remus said as he stood up, placing Delilah on the floor. The tiny house-elf's body quivered in happiness as she popped back down to the kitchen.

"Shall we?" Harry and Delilah ran out the door. Chuckling, Remus and Severus followed them. The four ran all the way down to the kitchen, where Sirius had somehow already finished his first heaping bowl of porridge and was now working on his second.

"Siri, slow down! There is more than enough porridge here!" Remus shook his head when Sirius stuck his tongue out at him, and sat down to eat his own breakfast. He smiled at Erikson, Leaf's companion, as the soft-spoken elf placed a mug of hot chocolate in front of him. The five of them ate in companionable silence, all absorbed in their own thoughts.

They were just settling in when the kitchen floo roared to life, admitting Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall. The two were greeted by two dark haired missiles, and three cheery 'hello's' from those still at the table.

"Hey, Al!" Harry beamed up at his pseudo-grandfather. The eccentric headmaster chuckled, ruffling Harry's hair.

"Now, Harry, you must remember that it is 'Headmaster', now," he produced two envelopes with a flourish. Delilah squealed, and wiggled from where she was wrapped in Minerva's arms.

"Hogwart's letters!"

"Not yet. Did you finish your breakfasts?" At their shaken heads, Albus continued, "Not until you're finished". Harry and Delilah flew back to the table, eating at such a speed that it seemed that they were inhaling their food.

"Whoa, now!" Remus cried, "you're going to make yourselves choke! Slow down!" Reluctantly, the twins slowed their eating to a much more reasonable pace. Once they were done, the two sat up straight, their eyes boring into Albus. For his part, the headmaster paid them no attention, sipping his hot chocolate and talking to Severus. Finally, Minerva decided to put Harry and Delilah out of their misery.

"Albus, stop that. They've finished, now give them their letters." Albus heaved a sigh, and brought the letters out from their hiding place. With a smile, he handed the two their letters.

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry awaits you."

Harry walked out the kitchen door, and shielded his eyes against the bright sun, noting that it wasn't as unbearably hot as it had been for the past week. He shook his head, and made toward the stable on the east end of the estate.

After they had opened the letters, talk had turned to Hogwarts. Albus, Delilah, Harry, Remus and Sirius watched in amusement while Severus and Minerva sniped at each other, insulting the other's houses, students, and quidditch teams. Albus stepped in when he noticed his wife draw her wand. The discussion had turned to the houses. The merits of each had been discussed, and all the adults were quick to reassure that they would be proud of Harry and Delilah, no matter which house they were placed in. Delilah got very quiet then, and left the kitchen as soon as it was decided that they would be going to Diagon Alley at three that afternoon.

Harry knew that something was bothering his sister; he also had a very good idea as to what it was as well. While the twins were remarkably similar, they were also very different. Delilah tended to stew over problems for so long that they ended up to be monumental in her mind. It was best to get her to talk about it before it had time to fester. While Harry was Delilah's brother, he was also her best friend. When she was hurting, or confused, she turned to either her books or her horse. As Delilah was nowhere to be found in the library or her room, she had to be out here. Harry received confirmation of this when he caught sight of a black horse arcing over a jump in the field, a dark haired figure balanced in the saddle.

Smiling in victory, Harry walked closer until he found a boulder large enough to sit on. For a long while, Harry sat and watched as Delilah worked out her frustrations, taking Eris over the jumps smoothly. As she slowed down, Harry shook his head in amazement. While he could ride, Harry could never find the same connection to the horses that Delilah did. He stood up slowly, so that Eris had the time to see him.

Delilah nodded to him as she swung down from the saddle. Taking the reins, she led Eris back to the stable in silence. Harry followed, knowing that she wanted to say something. Both were quiet as she put Eris back in her stall, and removed the saddle and bridle from the black horse. It wasn't until she joined Harry on the bale of hay he was sitting on that he noticed the tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Li, what's wrong?"

"What if I'm not in the same house as you?" The whisper was so quiet that Harry had to strain to hear his sister's voice.

"Oh, Li," Harry pulled her into his arms, rocking her slightly. "Delilah, it'll be okay. Honestly, houses don't matter all that much. Nothing is going to change between us if we get put in separate houses".

"But you're probably going to go Gryffindor. I'm either a Ravenclaw, or a Slytherin! I'll be all alone..."

"Li, you aren't going to be alone. Draco is a shoe-in for Slytherin, and LuLo is a Ravenclaw for sure, even if she doesn't start until next year." Harry was quiet while she thought that over. Draco Malfoy was one of their closest friends, and had grown up as their cousin. Xenophilius Lovegood was good friends with all three of the Marauders, and Augusta Longbottom, so Luna and Neville had become very close with Draco, Delilah, and Harry. "Besides," Harry continued, "you'll always have me, regardless of what house you're put in. Don't worry about labels, Li. Embrace who you are. Even if we are in Gryffindor and Slytherin, I'm not going to let the masses with sticks shoved up their arses tell me who I can be friends with."

Delilah flung her arms around her brother. "You're right. I'm worried about nothing."

"Come on then, we have just enough time to go get ready for Diagon Alley." Delilah snickered at the look of distaste on Harry's face. He hated the place; people always stared at him.

The twins were well aware of what took place at Godric's Hollow that night, and why Harry and his lightning bolt scar were famous. Harry never understood why people treated him like a hero when it was the love behind Lily's sacrifice that protected him from Lord Voldemort's curse. As a result, he generally disliked the Wizarding public, and rarely left the estate.

"Think about it this way," Delilah continued, "at least you get to go with your known, and acknowledged guardians. I'm not going with Sev, I'm going with Professor Snape. So much for family bonding". It had been decided that for the safety of all involved, Delilah's parentage would remain a mystery to those at Hogwarts. She would be the first Prince to be sorted in over fifty years. As nobody in the general wizarding public seemed to know who Lord Prince was, they had some flexibility. It would be easier to explain why a Hogwarts professor was accompanying Delilah than it would to come up with a reason to why the Lord Prince-Severus under a glamour charm-was only seen once before he seemingly vanished. This way, it could be said that the widowed Lord Prince spent much time away on business.

"True that. Race you back to the manor?"

"You are so on."

5 August 1991

Diagon Ally

London, England

The trip to Diagon Alley was not one that Harry wanted to repeat. Just as he had predicted, the crowds of witches and wizards stared at him in awe, putting him in a temper. He was calmed by Remus and Sirius' presences as they led him through the ally, and ignored the gawking bystanders. The two groups had split up at the manor, flooing to different ends of the Ally. Harry, Remus and Sirius worked away from The Leaky Cauldron, while Delilah and Severus worked their way toward it.

Harry met Draco in Madam Malkins, and waved to Neville from the Magical Menagerie. He didn't see Severus and Delilah until they reached Ollivander's, their last stop. The introduction between Harry and Delilah was completely staged, as if old school acquaintances were just introducing their charges.

After a long time, lots of measurements and a creepy shop owner, Harry walked out of the shop with his wand strapped into the wand holster that Severus had given him for his birthday. His wand, like Delilah's as he later learned, was twelve inches, with a dragon heartstring core, but was made of redwood where hers was of black walnut. Both were very good for a wide range of magic. They quickly moved through the crowd, moving toward the nearest public floo.

Severus and Delilah were heading toward the Leaky Cauldron to floo back to the manor when Severus saw Professor Quirrel hurrying toward Gringotts, glancing over his shoulder every few steps. Watching him with narrowed eyes, Severus waited until he vanished through the bronze doors.

"Professor?" Severus looked down to see Delilah looking back at him from a few steps ahead. He shook his head, walking passed her. "Come along, Ms. Prince."

As soon as they got back to the manor, Severus fire called Albus, telling him what had happened in Diagon Alley, and what he had seen.

1 September 1991

Kings Cross Station

London

Sirius and Remus led Harry and Delilah onto Platform 9 3/4. The two shared a smile, knowing that the same looks of awe that were on the twins faces now had been on their own back in 1971. After a few minutes, Sirius decided to break them out of their reverie.

"You're both sure that you have everything?" The twins nodded. "Good. Now lets get you a compartment." He led them down the train to the last carriage, the one furthest from the gateway. He jumped up onto the train, and held his hand out to Delilah, helping her step up. Sirius ruffled Harry's hair when he ignored Sirius' hand and jumped aboard himself. The two shuffled out of the doorway, leaving room for Remus to step aboard as well.

The two Marauders led Harry and Delilah down to the last compartment on the left side.

"Here we go! This was always our compartment, right from the first train ride. Everybody knew it too. No one ever tried to take it from us, not even the upper years, because they knew they would get pranked so bad." Nostalgia colored Remus' voice. "The only one who didn't was Lily-love."

Sirius checked his watch. "It's 10:30 now. Are you two absolutely sure that you have everything? Yes? Good. I'm sorry, you two, but I have a shite-load of paperwork I've got to do, and you know how much I hate paperwork!" The other three snickered. Sirius reached over, and pulled Harry into a tight hug, and ruffled his already disastrous hair. Delilah flung herself at Remus, squeezing him so tightly around the middle that he wheezed. For his part, Remus wrapped his arms around her, holding him close. After a few moments, they switched; Sirius swung Delilah around, kissing her forehead while Remus hugged Harry.

"Write us when you get a chance, you two. Give 'em hell." And with Sirius' parting words, they were gone.

It was several hours into the journey that the quiet in Harry and Delilah's compartment was disturbed by the sliding door as it was opened. Harry paused in his one-person game of Exploding Snap, and Delilah looked up from ControversialPotionsTheory, readjusting the hold she had on the toad in her hand. Both twins had discarded their outer robes when they entered the compartment, very much at ease in only their uniforms. The intruder was tall and gangly, with blue eyes and bright red hair. His nose was long, and both Harry and Delilah noticed the smudge of dirt on it. He was shifting from foot to foot, obviously nervous. He was also staring at Harry as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

"Are you planning on standing there all day, or were you going to sit down?" Delilah asked, lifting a finely arched eyebrow. The boy's eyes flashed to her for a moment before drifting back to Harry, even as he took the seat across from the dark haired boy. Delilah put up with the staring for another twenty seconds before she snapped, "You can stop staring now!"

The ginger hurriedly looked away, and silence overtook the compartment.

"So…" Harry said in an attempt to counteract his sister's acidic tone, "who are you?"

"Ron, Ron Weasley. Who are you two?"

"Delilah Prince."

"Harry Potter."

Weasley's mouth dropped open as he blatantly stared at the black haired boy across from him. Apparently, the rumors that had been spreading like wildfire up and down the train were true.

"Do you mind?" Harry snapped, an icy edge to his voice, "It's rude to stare."

"Sorry," Weasley muttered, staring down at his knees. Harry rolled his eyes at Delilah, and she shook her head.

"I heard you went to live with Muggles," Weasley blurted out. Delilah snorted, as Harry slowly raised his left eyebrow, a trait he picked up from Severus.

"And where, pray tell, did you hear that?" Harry asked curiously, though only Delilah heard the dangerous underlying tone in her brother's voice. After all, it was well known that Sirius Black was his legal guardian.

Before the redhead could answer, the compartment door slid open again, this time revealing two figures, one slightly behind the other. The first figure was a girl, first year, as her robes bore no crest. She had pale skin, though darker than Harry and Delilah's, bushy brown hair, and brown eyes. A ski jump nose protruded over her slightly over-bitten mouth.

The boy behind her was also pale with brown eyes and hair, though his hair was much darker than the girl's. He was rather cute, though painfully shy around people he didn't know, and was rather pudgy around the middle.

The girl started to speak, but the boy cut her off.

"Hey, Harry, Delilah. Have either of you seen-Hey! You found Trevor!"

Delilah's face was brightened with a smile. "For the first time ever, we can say that yes, we did." She handed the toad over as Neville took the seat beside her. He kept a tight grip on the toad so that it wouldn't escape again. "I thought I would find you two here. Gran told me about this compartment, though it figures that it would be in the last damn compartment of the last carriage of this train!"

Harry chuckled. "Just curious, mate, but what would you have done if we didn't have him? As you said, this is is the last compartment in the last carriage."

"Ah, probably would have asked a prefect to summon him for me."

"A summoning charm? What is that? I've memorized all of our course books by heart, but I've never come across that charm. What book was it from? What-"

"I'm so sorry to interrupt, but who are you?" Delilah asked. Harry and Neville snickered next to her. There was another snort of laughter in the doorway, a newcomer having recognized the underlying sarcasm in Delilah's question.

All in the compartment looked toward the door, where Draco Malfoy stood. Like Harry, he was tall and pale, though with platinum blond hair in contrast to Harry's raven locks. His gray eyes sparkled at his friends before they snapped onto what was obviously a Weasley, and a girl he did not recognize.

"You two just had to choose the last compartment on the whole damn train, didn't you? Aside, I agree with you, fair Miss Prince. I too wish to know who your traveling companion is. Well, my dear?" Draco drawled.

"I'm Hermione Granger. I'm the first in my family to have magic," she said, rather proudly.

Draco looked her over carefully. By the look on his face, his friends could tell that he was weighing pros and cons of his next action. Apparently, his conscious won out, because his next statement was a warning.

"I would be wary of broadcasting such information, my dear, for there are some in this world that will not be kind to you because of it." Turning away from her bewildered face, Draco held his hand out to, "Harry. Neville." He kissed Delilah's cheek "Delilah."

"Would you care to join us, Draco?" Delilah asked. He shook his head, and said, "I've already established myself in a compartment two carriages up the way, with some other acquaintances. Thank you, though".

"Come back when we get there, then. We'll wait for you," she murmured. With one last smile to his friends, Draco was gone.

Weasley exploded the moment Draco was gone. "Why are you friends with Draco Malfoy? He's a dark wizard!" His face was as red as his hair.

Delilah leapt out of her seat before Harry or Neville could so much as blink. She stood with her nose inches from Weasley's, emerald eyes blazing with fury.

"How dare you! That was a very strong accusation to make, especially considering what happened ten years ago. Though it's very unsurprising coming from you! You have never met Draco before today, and just now all you saw was that he has a compassionate heart and showed no signs of darkness! Yet, you ridicule him for his family name! Would it matter if he did a hundred good deeds a day, or was sorted into Gryffindor?" she sneered, looking very much like Severus, before her voice took on a sarcastic edge, "No, of course not, because he's a Malfoy, and Malfoy's are always dark." Her voice lowered to a deadly whisper, "perhaps you should learn to form opinions on someone based upon who they are, instead of their families reputations".

Having said her piece, Delilah sat down gracefully, picked up her book, and started reading as if she had not just been screaming at someone. She could feel Harry shaking in repressed laughter beside her. Looking over at him, she lifted her left eyebrow in amusement.

Neville shook his head, knowing that the two had just left reality for one of their non-verbal conversations. Growing up, Draco, Luna, and himself had watched as Harry and Delilah perfected the art of conversation through facial expression and subtle body movement. All of them now used it, but the other three had never quite grasped it to the level that the twins did. It was still a source of infinite amusement though, as were the looks on Granger and Weasley's faces.

He reached over and tugged the Exploding Snap pack off Harry's lap, and started to play against himself. They were approaching Hogsmeade station when Granger finally snapped.

"Well, that is very rude!" Neville looked up, eager to see if she would get the next tongue-lashing. Although very patient, both Harry and Delilah had terrible tempers. The twins turned to face the irate brunette, raising their left eyebrows at her. Harry spoke first.

"We are allowed to speak to each other, are we not?" He looked out the window as Hogsmeade Station came into view, appearing not at all interesting in the conversation.

"Yes, you are. But out loud, so that everyone is included!"

"What if it was private?"

"Then talk about it later, alone!"

"Okay. We'll just read each others' minds next time, how does that sound?" he asked as he spotted Draco in the corridor.

"Mind reading is impossible."

"Is it?" Harry asked rhetorically as he stood up, and offered his hand to his sister. She and Neville stood, and pulled their robes over their heads. Without turning back, the three exited the compartment, leaving Weasley and Granger staring at their backs, stupefied.

Great Hall

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Scotland

Delilah stood close by Harry's side in the midst of the group of first years waiting to be sorted. She could feel the eyes of the entire school upon them. She shivered, hating the weight of their gazes.

Harry reached over and took her hand. He knew that, despite the confident exterior, she was nervous. Like himself, Delilah hated crowds, and generally disliked the Wizarding population. However, he was not as suspicious of people as his sister. Together, they watched as Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom went to Gryffindor, and Draco Malfoy was placed immediately into Slytherin.

"Told you so," Harry whispered in Delilah's ear, making her chuckle. Less than five minutes later, Minerva called,

"Potter, Harry!" The hall went as silent as a tomb. Harry squeezed Delilah's and sauntered confidently to the stool. The hat had been on his head for a grand total of 2 seconds before the hat screamed,

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry took the hat off, shot his sister a crooked grin, and walked toward the table cheering for him. Before Delilah had time to take a deep breath, Minerva called out, "Prince, Delilah."

Gasps and murmurs broke out as people struggled to get a good look at the girl. Delilah picked her head up and glided over to Minerva, who smiled down at her and put the hat on her head. Her heart pounded in her ears for half a second before,

"SLYTHERIN!"

Delilah lifted that hat off her head, stood up, and placed it on the stool, smirking as she strode to where Draco had saved her a seat, her robes billowing behind her in a manner reminiscent of Severus'.

Delilah's eyes were automatically searching the Gryffindor table for Harry. After a few minutes, she found her twin. Feeling someone's eyes on him, Harry looked up, meeting Delilah's green gaze with his own. He tilted his head, and she nodded, signifying that she was just fine. Delilah then proceeded to ignore the rest of the sorting and tell Draco all that had happened while he had been in his own compartment.

After the feast, Harry and Neville followed Prefect Weasley out of the hall, ignoring the other redhead who had tried all through the feast to get Harry's attention. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry spotted Delilah and Draco moving toward the the dungeons. The stir that went through the crowd when the Boy-Who-Lived smiled and waved at a pair of Slytherins made Harry and Neville to snicker, and grin wickedly at each other.

Oh yes. The next seven years would be fun...


End file.
